Bachman Desilva Mary, Skalicky Anne M, Beard Jennifer, Cakwe Mandisa, Zhuwau Tom, Simon Jonathon L
Boston University School of Public Health, Center for Global Health and Development, Boston, Massachusetts, United States.
Int J Ment Health Promot. 2012 Jun;14(3):162-182. doi: 10.1080/14623730.2012.733600. Epub 2012 Dec 5.
To assess differences in psychosocial wellbeing between recent orphans and non-orphans, we followed a cohort of 157 school-going orphans and 480 non-orphans ages 9-15 in a context of high HIV/AIDS mortality in South Africa from 2004 to 2007. Several findings were contrary to published evidence to date, as we found no difference between orphans and non-orphans in anxiety/depression symptoms, oppositional behavior, self-esteem, or resilience. Female gender, self-reported poor health, and food insecurity were the most important predictors of children's psychosocial wellbeing. Notably, girls had greater odds of reporting anxiety/depression symptoms than boys, and scored lower on self-esteem and resilience scales. Food insecurity predicted greater anxiety/depression symptoms and lower resilience. Perceived social support was a protective factor, as it was associated with lower odds of anxiety/depression symptoms, lower oppositional scores, and greater self-esteem and resilience. Our findings suggest a need to identify and strengthen psychosocial supports for girls, and for all children in contexts of AIDS-affected and economic adversity.
为评估近期成为孤儿的儿童与非孤儿在心理社会幸福感方面的差异，我们对南非157名9至15岁的学龄孤儿和480名非孤儿进行了队列研究，研究背景为2004年至2007年期间南非艾滋病死亡率较高的情况。一些研究结果与迄今已发表的证据相悖，因为我们发现孤儿与非孤儿在焦虑/抑郁症状、对立行为、自尊或心理韧性方面并无差异。女性性别、自我报告的健康状况不佳以及粮食不安全是儿童心理社会幸福感最重要的预测因素。值得注意的是，女孩报告焦虑/抑郁症状的几率高于男孩，且在自尊和心理韧性量表上得分较低。粮食不安全预示着焦虑/抑郁症状更严重且心理韧性更低。感知到的社会支持是一个保护因素，因为它与焦虑/抑郁症状几率较低、对立得分较低以及自尊和心理韧性较高相关。我们的研究结果表明，有必要为女孩以及受艾滋病影响和处于经济困境中的所有儿童确定并加强心理社会支持。
